Dead Trackpad

My trackpad stopped working this morning. I've never had trouble with it before other than it being jumpy, which i was told was normal. I took it to my local mac store and they said it might be the logic board (they replaced my keyboard last month due to a spill and are afraid this might have affected it too). I've tried resetting the PRAM and the PMU and nothing helped. Will I really have to spend almost $1000 to get my touchpad fixed? No offense but that just seems ridiculous.

lesargen:
Welcome to Apple Discussions.
If, indeed, it is the trackpad you could replace the top case and trackpad with directions from ifixit. It is a very intense, but doable job.
If it is the logicboard, you will likely have other issues than a non-working trackpad. In any case, the price quoted seems quite steep. DT&T Computer Services will test and repair it for a lot less.
Good luck.
cornelius

Similar Messages

Dead Trackpad and Mouse

When I started my TiBook this AM, the mouse was frozen. I couldn't move the arrow nor click anything using the trackpad or button. Plugging in a USB mouse worked fine. And working this way for a while would be alright. Except, I think my kids want their mouse back.
I saw that, under the iBook discussions, people said this was symptomatic of a bad or disconnected trackpad cable. Consequently, these questions:
1) Does anyone think it is likely to be anything else, like a dead pad/mouse combo?
2) Does anyone know where to find instructions on how to (a) find the cable or (b) replace the pad/button? The iBook crowd had posted links to some for an iBook. When I looked at pictures of the insides of a TiBook, they looked too different for me.
This is my back-up machine. My regular PB won't take a charge from a power supply. So, I'm looking for any kind of help I can get to have one fully working computer.
Thanks,
Gary
Powerbook G4 Mac OS X (10.4.5)

Hi g,
1) Does anyone think it is likely to be anything else, like a dead pad/mouse combo?
The trackpad is an electronic part, and yes, it could have died.
The trackpad will sometimes not function properly due to software issues. I don't know if you've tried restarting, but that's the first thing I'd try. If no change, try booting from your install disc and see if the trackpad functions. If so, the issue is software related. If not, it's a hardware issue.
The trackpad ribbon on TiBooks has proved to be less than robust, but in most cases when there is an issue, it causes erratic behavior, it doesn't just stop working; still, you may want to read about the Orange Ribbon Cable Issue/Fix. If, in fact, your cable is actually severed, insulating according to the link isn't going to help, only replacing it will.
2) Does anyone know where to find instructions on how to (a) find the cable or (b) replace the pad/button? The iBook crowd had posted links to some for an iBook. When I looked at pictures of the insides of a TiBook, they looked too different for me.
The architecture of each PB/iBook is different; have a look at the fixit guides for your model (which is it anyway?) at ifixit.com.

How do I fix a dead trackpad & keyboard illumination?

Hello,
For over a year now, the trackpad & ambient keyboard illumination hasn't worked on my 17" PowerBook G4 1Ghz. I initially assumed it was just a software misconfiguration, but I installed Leopard clean and now I want to get to the bottom of this.
Here's the background:
* The failure has gone from being intermittent (seemed to be related to returning from sleep at one point) to permanent. However, during one of my few false-starts installing leopard the trackpad came alive--but I haven't seen it since.
* I've reset my PRAM and Power Management Unit.
* I even booted in to an Ubuntu LiveCD and the trackpad didn't work there, so I'm pretty sure this is a hardware issue.
* I did upgrade the hard drive and was pretty careful with the cabling (the trackpad & keyboard illumination didn't work before this and didn't work after either).
So what do you guys think? Is this hardware related? Are there any other software approaches I should try? If it is hardware related, what do I need to replace?
Thanks in advance for any help you can give!
- Jake

Sadly this post won't be helpful. Instead, it's just a "me too". I had working illumination under Panther, and I installed Leopard yesterday (clean install). I skipped Tiger entirely.
Pressing the keyboard illumination keys (F8 through F10) do cause the illumination icon to appear on the screen, but they all have the "n/a" symbol (that circle with the slash through it) on them.
Since I'm entitled to 90 days phone support I've been trying to reach telephone support, but it's Thanksgiving week and I've just been on hold an unusually long (for Apple) while. If I get an answer I'll be sure to post it.

Dead trackpad & button

Hi All,
My wife's iBook trackpad died suddenly yesterday; no drops on the floor or spilled cokes, it just froze up and that was that. My USB mouse works fine, and I've performed the following checks:
1) Restart
2) Reset PMU
3) Reset PRAM
4) Run Harware Test from system disc
5) Removed keyboard, AirPort card & RAM shield to check for loose cable
In addition, I've attempted to install the following third-party trackpad drivers:
1) iScroll 2 -- compatibility script said "no way Jose"
2) Free Focused Scroll -- for whatever reason, could not be installed (even though she's running 10.3.9)
3) SideTrack -- installed sucessfully, but when I try to access the prefs panel, a pop-up informs me that the driver is not installed.
I'm not convinced it's a straight hardware problem, as the hardware test came up ok. And somewhere along the line (can't remember where), I saw a message that the trackpad driver was not currently installed.
So, my question: Why can't I simply reinstall an updated regular ol' Panther trackpad driver? Can't seem to find it here or elsewhere, nor any reference to it. Am I nuts?
Thanks all,
DK

Intel Core 2 Duo, not "3" - my typo.

HP envy 14 dead trackpad?

Hey guys, This is really frustrating for me considering the fact that I just recieved my HP envy 14 on the 10th (This is my third day owning the laptop after two weeks of waiting)
Anyway, I was looking at some bios stats and after finishing up I logged on to see that the laptop touchpad was completely unresponsive. I scurried around the net looking for an explanation and a fix but no dice.. Uh, I really want to avoid being forced to ship this thing back.. (It really is a huge hassle)
Some steps I took to try to fix the problem include:
Using the recovery manager to re-install synaptics drivers
Downloading the drivers from HP
Doing a restore to an earlier date ( Will try again in a few minutes to an earlier period)
if anyone can please give me a good response, I would be eternally grateful.. <3 Thanks everyone.

Ok guys, I spoke to a customer rep and in the process of attaining my serial number, I inadvertently solved this issue by removing the battery pack.
So I suppose that a possible solution would be to remove the battery and reboot the laptop. Good luck everyone (:

CD/DVD drive is dead (+ some more)

My CD/DVD combo drive is dead, and I'm looking for a do-it-yourself fix.
Some important notes (maybe):
-It started with a CD getting stuck in the tray during one of my many logic board freezes. When I restarted the computer, the CD wouldn't come out, so I opened it by putting something sharp into that little hole. After that it won't respond.
-It doesn't work when rebooting into OS 9
-The open-button on the keyboard doesn't respond at all, and no icon comes up on the screen when I press it.
From what I've read elsewhere, apple-support claims that the last two points means that the drive is dead and gone, and I need to replace it.
BUT...it seems strange to me that the drive would suddenly stop working when I used that hole to open the tray. Can it really destroy the drive to use that way of opening it? And what about that logic board freeze that started it all? Can that potentially ruin the drive? Or could this be a software problem?
As for the logic board issues, Apple's answer has always been "replace the enitre board". Later it turns out that it's only a few connections gone bad, and you can actually fix it for much cheaper than what Apple suggests. Actually, you can fix it youself for free. So could it be the same way with the CD-drive? That Apple tells people to change the drive, while there might be an easier and cheaper fix?
So to sum up:
1) Could the CD/DVD issue be a software-issue, despite the fact that the button is unresponsive and that it also won't work in OS 9? If so, how can I fix it? Are there any drivers I can try to re-install?
2) If this is a hardware-problem, is it possible to fix it yourself? Like, opening up the computer and connect what needs to be connected? If anyone knows of a DIY-guide, please give me a link.
And last, just a suggestion:
I think the apple-support forum should start using 'stickies'. It would help alot of people, and also take some load of from the staff.
There are DIY-fixes (that really work) for the following:
- logic board freezes
- dead trackpad
- dead screen
- CD reading-issues
....and probably more.
Would be nice if you could gather all these DIY fixes as stickies on the top of each forum-list, cause right now it's kind of hard to find anything helpfull without having to ask. And I see that you keep refering to earlier posts over and over again, so why not just make stickies of them?
Thanks.

1) No. Since it won't work in OS 9, either, it is most likely a hardware issue. Apple says to use a straightened paperclip to open the drive manually. I'm not sure that "something sharp" wouldn't damage the drive mechanism, since a straightened paperclip is not sharp.
2) It's probably going to take a new (or used) drive. You can find one at PowerBook Tech. They also have instructions for replacing it, but it's not an easy thing to do. (You could also maybe find one on eBay.)
Another set of instructions for replacing the optical drive can be found at iFixit. iFixit also has the drive available for purchase, but it's more expensive there.
If you don't want the Combo drive, a CD-ROM or DVD drive can probably be had for less money. eBay may have some really good buys from people parting out their iBooks. Look for somebody with a good feedback profile.
Good luck.

Trackpad + CD issues. Help greatly appreciated.

Hi.
I'm having two major issues with my iBook:
1)
The mouse trackpad freezes after a certain time of use. The only thing that helps is restarting the computer, after which the mouse gets progressively worse untill it freezes completely again. This takes about 30 min. each time.
Everything else is working fine, including keyboard shortcuts. It's just the mouse that stops working (and that includes the button to, btw).
I've tried resetting the PMU , but that didn't help. Eventually I deleted my entire computer, and reinstalled the system. Didn't help either. I noticed the problem was still there even when I booted from the install CD.
2)
I'm having problems reading burnt CD's. Even CD's that I just burnt on my own computer, and that are supposed to be fine.
They'll ususally work for the first couple of times after burning, but eventually if I try to insert it, my computer tells me that the disc I inserted is empty(!). But they're definetely not empty, you can see it clearly on the back of the CD to. This is a problem that has always been there, more or less, but I've gotten to a point where I'm really fed up with it. In general the CD/DVD station is really sluggish. Makes a lot of noice to.
DVD's work fine, normal CD's (not burnt) work fine. Burnt CD's usually don't.
Sometimes it helps trying to insert the CD a number of times.
Help appreciated.

Thanks to both Ronda and Barry for replying.
Good news first:
As for the CD-issue, I followed the instructions provided on another thread:
hey all you are not going to believe this. I turned the ibook upside down with the drive open and there is a small metal disk all i did was clean this with alcohol and cottton. Fixed it must be some sort of electrical or magnetic switch. i hope this helps
I can confirm that works. Been with this problem for almost 2 months on my Toshiba combo drive, and tried everything (hardware and software) but cleaning the little metal contact made the problem go away. It seems like it is an electrical connection that fails when dirty.
All you have to do is open the tray, and look for a little circular metal contact near the center of the tray (in the opposite side of the tray from the one you put discs into, this is, the bottom side). Clean it with a soft cloth and you're all set! Insert a disc and it will play.
http://discussions.info.apple.com/webx?128@@.68aa52cb
And it worked! As for now, my computer is recognizing the same CD's that it wouldn't right before I cleaned it. So I think that problem is gone now.
To Barry:
I was having bigger problems reading CD's burnt on other computers than for those burnt on my own. Those from my own computer would usually work for a couple of times (or untill the next time I restarted my computer). But who knows, maybe the solution above will work for you sons computer as well.
Now the mouse issue:
I haven't booted from OS 9, but I guess booting from a CD gives me the same info. And the problem was still there when I booted from the CD.
I also tried the instructions provided on another thread, but sadly it didn't work for me:
scott raymoure, "dead trackpad", 08:45pm Jun 5, 2005 CDT
But I still have a feeling it might be a software issue:
1) Rebooting the computer helps, after which the mouse works for about 30 min. Wouldn't this be more random if it was hardware?
2) It often happends just as I perform some kind of task on the computer. Eg, open another tab in Safari, open mail......basicly when I run several small processes at once. At least I think so, of course it could be my imagination.
3) After erasing my computer and installing everything again, the mouse issue actually got WORSE. If it was hardware, I suppose it would have stayed the same. But the issue is signigicantly worse now.
But one thing especially bothers me:
When I hit the computer to the left of the trackpad, it fixes the problem for a short while. I suppose this is consistent with a Logic Board Failure. But the problem is, I just had my Logic Board exchanged about 2 months ago. Could it be broken already now? If so, can I expect having to change the Locic Board six times per year?
Thanks again for replies to both of you, and good luck to Barry with the CD-issue.
P.S.
I bought the computer new almost 3 years ago and I do not have apple care protection plan.

Track pad has died :(

Hello all,
iBook G3 700Mhz, all of a sudden my track pad has died, I have tried to a shut down, and restart, nothing, is there a fix for this or do I need to bring it in for some repairs?
Thanks for the help.
Doug

Hi Doug,
I've had a dead trackpad on my iBook for a couple of years. Zapping the PMU did no good on my machine, so I now use a portable Logitech mouse instead. I read on a few discussion boards that the problem with a dead trackpad is sometimes caused by a loose connection between the trackpad and the logic board, so I guess you could open up the case or take the iBook to a repair shop if you don't want to switch to a mouse like I did (I figured it was a much cheaper solution). Sorry I can't offer more help.
Claire

Macbook Pro Caps Lock. how to relieve? i cant small caps letter use?

Macbook Pro Caps Lock. how to relieve? i cant small caps letter use?

I think I have a different problem, but it shares some similar features.
I just got my MBP back from repair for a dead trackpad/keyboard.
Things work mostly peachy now, but I noticed that the caps lock feature doesn't work. The caps lock light does come on on both my built-in and external keyboards, but neither produces CAPS when used.
Searching for this topic on the 'net is difficult nowadays due to a different issue on the new MBP swamping most older discussions.
In any case, the feature itself is gone-the hardware seems to be working properly. It even gives me the little caps lock warning if I press the caps lock key on the login screen. However, no capital letters are ever produced with them.
Strange.

Keyboard & trackpad dead on my unibody MBP

Hiya.
I've got a late 2008 15" MBP that I haven't used for about 2 months, after using it extensively since 2009. I've had very little problems with it, but now that I've booted it up after the 2 month period, the integrated keyboard and trackpad are dead. No response whatsoever. I've got a USB keyboard and mouse, so I can get it to work. But not reset PRAM, as the USB keyboard doesn't work when booting (I tried).
I've seacrhed the intarwebz and found references to this exact problem leading to removing the battery and making sure a copper colored strip was pressed down properly. But, this model doesn't have that copper strip. So that solution doesn't work for me.
I've rebooted several times, tried to boot into safe mode (again, no keyboard means no other booting options). Since it's 4 years old, there's no more warranty. There's only one genius bar in my country (NL), and it's not near where I live.
I'm running the leatest OS and updates. There's a 2010 patch for internal keyboard problems for 10.5.x, but that doen't install on my machine.
Anyone go any tips? I checked for deformations, the battery is ok, there's no bulges or anything. And prior to the 2 month rest it was working fine.
I've searched my console logs for IO device entries but only found that it was looking for bluetooth devices on startup (as it couldn't find an keyboard or mouse). No errors that it can't find my internal keyboard.
I'm stuck. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

the problem is that us unibody mbp need the update because my machine runs at 200 degrees while doing basic work. i've installed smc fan controller and still have issues. so where's the solution for all the unibody mbps with overheating issues

Dead pixel and broken trackpad glass

i've bought my new mac the last week and i all ready have a dead pixel and a broken trackpad glass.

Was the trackpad broken right out of the box, or did you break it? If it was broken when you opened the box, why didn't you return the MBP or report the damage immediately? I doubt that you're going to get much sympathy from Apple after waiting a week to report it; they will quite reasonably assume the crack is user-caused damage. If you're extremely lucky, maybe someone at Apple will take pity on you and replace the top case for free, but I'd be surprised.
The dead pixel is an unrelated issue, and that might get you a replacement display under your warranty if (a) you report it calmly, patiently and politely, (b) the dead pixel is in a conspicuous location on the screen, and (c) there's no evidence (other than the cracked trackpad) that the machine has been mishandled.

Trackpad dead spots after using MoshiPalm Guard

Recently I am getting dead spots on the trackpad of my MacBook Pro 13in.
The spot is somewhere to the left of the center. When I circle my finger tip around that area, the cursor does not move.
What is even more puzzling is that if I first place my finger in the problem region, then drag it along the trackpad to another region on the trackpad, the problem temporarily escalates to that region as well. (So dragging your finger all over the trackpad starting from the problem region does not move the cursor a bit).
There seem to be occasions when the dead spot is not completely dead but just highly insensitive.
I don't think it's a software problem.
Perhaps the Moshi Palm Guard/Trackpad skin is causing some conductivity issues?
I should say that the problems only appeared several weeks after I placed the Moshi Trackpad skin to protect the aluminum shell.
Is anyone experiencing similar problems?
Please help!

Welcome to Apple Discussions!
I would for sure say that the problem is the skin on the trackpad. In my opinion, you don't really need a skin for the glass trackpads. They don't wear like the older ones do and leave a big shiny area. Try using your trackpad without the skin for a day or so and see if it works normally.

Help! Trackpad dead

I was having some problems with my new iBook G4 and installed OSX 10.4.2 on it. Now the trackpad is dead! I read that I should re-install the original system disks that cxame with this iBook but they are at my home, and I am thousands of miles from there!
Does anyone know of another way to get the trackpad back up? I am using an external mouse now. The keyboard works fine, as well as everything else.. just no trackpad.
Thanks for any advice!

hey Clown,
Sorry to hear you've been having problems. Here is a link I found on apple's site and while I do a more specific search I figured I should include it:
There are a number of possible causes if your trackpad button doesn't respond which could affect either a PowerBook or iBook computer.
It is possible that the issue may be caused by a peripheral that has been attached to the computer. Disconnect any USB or ADB devices such as mice, keyboards, or joysticks and see if the issue still persists. If this resolves the issue then it could be an old version of the software that supports this accessory device, or it could be a hardware issue or incompatibility. You should refer to the vendor of the accessory for driver updates or service for the product.
It could be a hardware issue with the trackpad button itself. If you need to use the computer until you can have it serviced, you may, depending on the iBook or PowerBook model you own, enable the Clicking feature in the Keyboard & Mouse pane of System Preferences (in Mac OS X) or the Trackpad control panel (in Mac OS 9).
I'll keep looking deeply for a solution to your prob. Hope for the best...

Keyboard and trackpad dead.

A couple of days ago, my keyboard and trackpad both freezed at the same time.
After shutting it down and restarting it some hours later, both where still not working.
Than after several shutdowns and restarts, I managed to do a PRAM zap. After that the keyboard and the trackpad came back just to stop working again after two hours.
After that, I never managed to turn them on again. PRAM zapping does not work with a dead keyboard - and even with the help of an external keyboard clearing the PRAM did not help.
Now I'm using my MacBook with an external keyboard and mouse.
Is this a hardware failure or is there any chance to bring my internal keyboard back without having the Mac repaired?

The problem has been solved - the hard way.
In fact this is a design problem with MacbookPros. The ribbon cable that you see when you take out the battery is subject to damages from, well, the battery.
Everytime you put your MacBook Pro into a bag, change the battery, or otherwise put pressure on this feeble cable, it gets weakend and finally breaks inside.
So either you got to get it repaired on warranty or - if warranty is gone, have it repaired for 250,-€ At least this was the price they gave me in a German Apple Sales Point.
So what I did was buying a used top case through ebay for about $30 and changed it myself. Keyboard and trackpad work again and to prevend another breakage, I reinforced the ribbon cable with tape.
I'd like to mention that I found zero comments from Apple on this issue.
http://www.appledefects.com/wiki/index.php?title=MacBookPro#Faultykeyboard

Ugh! How to navigate when you have a dead Mouse / Trackpad or accidentally turned off bluetooth

Wow...
Did a stupid thing and turned off bluetooth on my Mac and watched as my Apple Magic Mouse and Apple Magic Trackpad dissapeared and left me stranded.
For those of you dead in the water unable to navigate your Mac here are some tips:
Reboot your Mac and Zap your PRAM which will force the Mac to turn on bluetooth again. Shut down the computer by holding the power button. Hold down Command (the Apple icon 4 leaf clover key), Option, P and R keys together and hold them all down after you turn on the Mac. If you do this before the grey screen you'll see the Mac chime and restart. You can now let go of your keys and see if BlueTooth can now discover your devices.
If you haven't already swapped out batteries in your Mouse, Keyboard or Trackpad please do so. Be sure to not mix batteries of different types in the device.
If you have keyboard access, but not your mouse or trackpad you can press the Option Key 5 times and then your numeric pad should move the mouse allowing you to navigate to things like System Preferences, Bluetooth to turn it back on!
If you have a USB mouse you can plug it in, navigate your mac and turn bluetooth back on.
If you have Apple Screen Share or Apple Remote Access you can use another Mac to log into your Mac and turn on bluetooth.
Serious Accessbility Feature Requests for Apple (and yes I know this isn't the forum or place to put this, but it needs to be said):
You need to go back and fix 10.8.4 to allow complete navigation of a Mac with a keyboard only. You can use Command + SpaceBar and type System Preferences and then type BlueTooth, but once you are in the Bluetooth settings you can't use your keyboard to navigate to the ON option.
You can't also navigate into System Preferences / Accessibility to turn Enable Mouse Keys (you need a mouse to turn this option on!). The Mouse & Trackpad options should be made so that a keyboard could turn on/off this feature, because a lot of people trying to turn on this feature are folks like me who lost mouse/trackpad access!!
Hopefully this helps others! Hopefully Apple will do some basic UI improvements to bring back OS navigation for users who only have access to a keyboard or just a mouse/trackpad (no physical keyboard). These kinds of tests should be part of every major OS release!

http://apple.com/feedback/macosx.html

Dead Trackpad

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